Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-04-04
TIE CRiMEs OF MssANE.
Peculiar Case of siap Nhe Is Wanted
for lIirkeuuess


SAN FRANCISCO, Aprl At last the
mystery IS solved, ard the question who is
ki5sane: that has set the city 10y the ears
for the past week /, answered William
Kissane is known here as William K. Rogers,
a wealthy farmer Of Scnoma county There
are many strongly romantic features in the
story, not the legsL remarkable being that
kIssaiIe has a brother living in San Fran
cisco under another name and who is one of
her most influential CtilNls. It is this
brother influence, embracing as it does
railroad and legal and Masonic circles that
has so effcCtuaIiy stopped the public ltion of
the expose. Although the name was known
Friday night, and although it is known that
more than one paper had the full story in
type, not one word was printed Saturday
morning, and Saturday evening the New
y DIRK dispatches concerning the matter were
suppressed. A German paper-The Demo-
crat-alone broke the compact of silence
kissane's story, leaving out his New York
experience where he was sent to prison for
forgery, is this: He had a shoe factory in
Cincinnati in lSJJ.', which burned down in a
mysterious manner one night. The fire also
destroyed an adjoining soap factory of Pope
q Corder bringing the families of the mem
hers of this tirrs to beggary. A son-in-law
of Pope, named Darr, came to California
few years ago, recognized Kissane, and noti-
fed the Chemical bank, which institution
was n loser by kissane's forgery. After the
fire Kissane and others chartered the steamer
Martha u Washington and ostensibly loaded
her with boots and shoes. During her trip
the steamer was destroyed by fire, several
lives beng lost. Charges OF murder and
arson followed Kissane joined Walkers
NicarauSa expedition, deserted in 1861, and
went TO Virginia City, New. There he en-
tered Into partnership with man named
Grissom, who recently died l.. a;le poor house
AMI another named Henderson, now a
wealthy man of Santa Clara county To-
gether they obtained mine paying Sl5, 900
| month, which soon mado them rich
Rogers, with his share, bought the old Surf
estate, near Sonora, ard settled down TO
country life As ". K. Rogers be became a
firm friend of Col Peter Donohue, and was
associated with him in railroad building. In
| 1879 he became county supervisor, was made
president of the board in 1875, and has served
without interruption ever since.
Though the present disclosure is the first in
the nature OF a public sensation it is by no
means the first with which he has been
threatened In a quarrel with Sonoma
county paper in 1879, Rogers career was
limited at, and from what can be learned the
old man has been pretty freely bled. He is
a big, tall fellow, carrying his years and ex-
perience wonderfully well; lives in good
style and is father of two children and step
father to two grown up daughters, having
married widow. He enjoys the reputation
of being extremely charitable and most
indulgent parent. Kissanes family reaches
from high to low. At the top stands the ex-
tremely prominent citizen referred to, next
comes Rodgers, and last comes teamster
also living in San Francisco, who still keeps